Mar 11

FRINGE 2017: Scientology: The Musical – Warehouse at The Producers – 5K

By Tom Eckert

Scientology

From the creators of Abbott! The Musical, George Glass bring a new absurdist rock musical destined to inspire the same level of following as the name sake of their show show at its peak.

Intelligent and satirical, Scientology: The Musical is characterised by songs that subvert Broadway to T.S. Eliot and manage to tick off most major religions along the way. Catchy riffs and rapid-fire word play would make this a production that could easily be enjoyed again and again with a style deserving of the tagline L. Ron Hubbard Superstar.

The production is filled to the brim with iconic characters (often conveniently supplied from the Scientology canon) played often many each in rapid succession by a chameleon cast.

Notable highlights were Braden Hamilton as an L. Ron Hubbard Proxy via Monty Python “Brad” and Nicholas Conway as an Auckland derived Scientology staffer and Xemu the galactic dictator played halfway between Freddie Mercury and Adolf Hitler.

A unique brand of humor and with a style all of their own, I have no doubts that George Glass will take Edinburgh by storm.

 

Kryztoff Rating: 5K

Mar 11

Attack of the Emotional Pygmies – Star Theatres – 4K

The Star Theatre was the perfect venue for this intimate play that portrayed a snapshot of a family dinner, myrred in disfunction.

Attack of the Emotional Pygmies follows the struggle of Georgia as she struggles to inspire compassion in her husband, Alastair. We get a glimpse into the lives of Georgia and Alastair through the portrayal of a family dinner where Alastair’s sister Margie and her partner Greg are coming over.

As the meal begins we learn of the various grudges and grumbles that exist within the family quartet. Alastair bemoans the difficulties of being a 21st century doctor and “only being able to charge $200 for a 10 minute consultation”. As the evening continues Georgia brings up a matter which further strains the family and we watch as Alastair delves deeper into selfish indignance.

This is a well written play that tackles morality, guilt and the financial strain that faces a number of Australian families. Though it is currently only half of the full production, the audience is left awaiting the final conclusions. Will Alastair return from the pit of his selfish rage?

A well acted performance, particular accolades go to Todd Gray’s Alastair. The pomposity oozed from his very being and from his first words the audience is left with a feeling of unease seeing him on stage. Matthew Hein’s Greg was almost the polar, warm and welcoming, calm and helpful to the end.

A well produced and well organised piece, definitely worth a viewing this Fringe for both its humour and tension. A great play, can’t wait to see the second half!

4K

Mar 11

FRINGE 2017 – MUSIC WITH MOTION – 3K

by Riccardo Barone 

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Adelaidians retrogamers, you can’t miss that! Be ready to be immersed in your childhood with Mario Bros & friends’ themes, soundtracks of our rainy days spent on our favourite console. Maybe you can even hear mummy yelling “Too much of these games!! Go do your homework!!”.

How can the functionality and the efficiency be unlimited in a Wind Band? For example whilst in Italy the secular tradition is mostly based around religious music dedicated to Saints in festive celebrations or Opera arias/symphonic music transcriptions, pieces, especially written for Wind Band, the Woodville Concert Band aims to captivate the eighty-ninthy generation focusing on a courageous repertoire.

The entire performance requires the support of a projector. Every piece is a tribute to a console game which has been synchronically played with the well done clips (excerpts from games’ scenes) displayed on the screen. Such a difficult task for the conductor to start the clip and at the same time as conducting the orchestra then eventually playing with one foot some funny percussion instruments.

Kryztoff Rating  3K

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 11

FRINGE 2017: COMEDY – Aunty Donna: Big Boys – Arts Theatre – 5K

Aunty Donna is back at the Adelaide Fringe with their unique brand of stupidly clever, high energy sketch comedy.  With sold-out shows, Mark, Broden and Zach have probably outgrown the cramped-but-comfortable Arts Theatre on Angus Street. Their growing popularity is no surprise: The boys are talented professionals, and with the help of music-man Tom Armstrong, these Big Boys take the audience on journey into absurdity.

 

It is difficult to describe the show – there’s lots of dancing, yelling, and even a little demon-hunting. The boys are particularly talented at maintaining excitement and reading their audience. Their enthusiasm extends to the appreciative fan base, who are able to continue the boys’ banter in a unique fashion that gives their shows an extra element, unseen in other comedy shows.

 

There’s not much to say in the way of negative comments. While Big Boys was a tight show, it did leave little room for the mistakes and improvisation that make the boys so charming. However, like their past shows, Big Boys is laugh-out-loud funny, exciting, and is simply over too quickly.

Mar 10

FRINGE 2017 – Dave Callan: Every Video Clip Ever – 3.5K

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Dave Callan, well-known Australian comedian, one-time Rove Live panellist and Triple J host, takes on the challenge of recreating countless famous video clips throughout history.

Joined by some audio-visual help and a couple of back-up dancers, Callan’s energy doesn’t let up for the hour-long tribute to the classics. He works through over thirty years of famous video clips from artists such as Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, and Miley Cyrus. He even superimposes himself into Daryl Braithwaite’s Horses, in a hilarious scene that had the audience in stitches.

Callan really throws himself into the performance. Despite the heat, he throws all of his efforts into the choreography for each video. That kind of commitment should be something to be commended – the effort, preparation, and through that went into creating his show would have been truly monumental.

Every Video Clip Ever is on until March 12th, so grab tickets quickly – and use it as a way to say goodbye to Adelaide favourite, the Rhino Room.

Kryztoff Rating: 3.5K

Mar 10

FRINGE 2017: THEATRE – Late: A Cowboy Song – Tuxedo cat – 4K

It’s likely that a pretty low percentage of people are still in a relationship with their childhood sweetheart fifteen, or twenty, years later. Mary and Crick are in that minority. They’ve been together since they were eight; an arrangement that seems to have been maintained by his utter bliss with his role as the stay-at-home partner, and her desire not to rock the boat, or perhaps lack of acknowledgement that there are any other viable options.

We enter their narrative just as lateness, in two forms, is about to have a major impact on this couple. One form is the usual chronological one, and is the result of the rekindling of an old friendship by Mary with Red, a peculiar girl from her high school days, who is now a cowboy. The other is a new chapter in the couple’s life in the form of a child; a child who throws up some unusual challenges, not least of which seems to be Mary and Crick agreeing on a name.

Eliza Oliver is mesmerising as Mary, you simply cannot take your eyes off her – her stillness, her confusion, her quiet power, and her slowly building spark of spirit. As you watch her gradual attainment of self-realisation, and the way that this feeds off her friendship with Red and flows into her responses to Crick, you can’t help but silently cheer her on. As Crick, Andreas Lohmeyer brings the mix of arrogant entitlement, blind enthusiasm, naïve stupidity, and unsettling manipulation needed for the role. Rounding out the cast as Red, Annabel Matheson is the antithesis to Crick; calming, generous and grounded. She also provides the live musical performances for some scenes, which do indeed make the show feel a bit like a tale told by a campfire.

This is an interestingly woven tale from Sarah Ruhl, which has been aptly directed by Sarah Dunn to bring out the dream-like quality in the script and highlight the important issues raised within it. However, one perplexing choice is having Oliver and Lohmeyer deliver lines with their natural Australian accent while Matheson has a quintessential Southern American drawl. While it may make the characters of Mary and Crick more easily understandable or relatable for the audience, the play is clearly set in small-town America, where all three characters have grown up, and thus the mix is jarring and confusing. This small foible aside, it’s a charming and arresting production.

Kryztoff rating: 4K

Mar 09

FRINGE 2017 – FABIEN CLARK – DON’T WORRY HE’S NOT PERMANENT – 4K

Appearing in the very small Cranny, where someone had accidentally turned off the aircon, in front of a sweaty audience who had seated themselves so as to be in the direct path of the airflow from the fan was Fabien Clark, heroically appearing at this years fringe despite the fact that he now shares his life with a very new baby and looks quite sleep deprived.

A very funny storyteller who takes the audience from a tinder date which wasn’t really a tinder date (So how did you two meet?) through to unexpectedly meeting her mother (in less than ideal circumstances) to babymoons, and beyond.

It’s easy to forget that this is stand up comedy when Fabien has the audience feeling that he is someone they have just met at a bbq.  Someone who is regaling them with hilarious tales of his relationships with mothers, women, and children.

At The Producers – The Cranny until March 19th.

Kryztoff Rating 4K

Mar 09

FRINGE 2017: Barbu Electro Trad Cabaret – The Peacock – Gluttony – 4K

By Tom Eckert

Barbu-Electro-Trad-Cabaret-Fringe

Barbu, hailing from Montreal brings a novel twist on the typically ‘1920s chic’ acrobatics heavy cabaret we see at the Fringe.

Barbu mashes together elements of electro trad music with a distinct folky twist, carnival and unabashed machismo all with a slice of camp humour.

Focusing very much on feats of strength the cast do wonders. There were admittedly a few slip ups from time to time. This is inevitable in such a physical show coming to the end of a long season. To their credit however, anything missed was just repeated without fuss until it was executed.

The show I felt suffered from some inconsistencies in tone – shifting between gothic, vaudeville and slapstick. Whilst this provided variety it was a little unsettling in terms of aesthetics.

Despite any reservations however, the show was very entertaining with a playful sense of humour and certainly worth seeing if you’re after something more rough-and-ready or simply burly men with beards.

Kryztoff rating: 4K

Mar 08

Limbo Unhinged – The Garden – 4K

The Limbo gang are back with a more incredible show than ever. Combining physical theatre, circus stunts, comedy and acrobatics, Limbo Unhinged is a fantastic show.

From the very first act the performers had the audience roused. The show begins with physical theatre; a man who winds and bends himself like a corkscrew. This is a returning theme throughout the show, each performer comes out and presents an incredible skill which only builds until it borders on unbelievable. At one point the audience collectively thought “There is no way this woman can fit any more swords in her mouth” and the audience was wrong. Oh so wrong.

 

The cast not only performs an eye popping selection of acrobatic and other feats, they also provide and play their own backing music. Beautiful vocals accompany rich guitar and drum sets which perfectly set the pace for the show.

The show continues, bringing in comedic and other elements to perpetuate the audience’s clapping. As the show builds to it’s close, fire is of course involved.

 

This show will leave you gaping like a fish. It is the best circus show at the fringe by far. Every time you think you’ve seen a trick before a new method or approach is brought, bringing the performer closer to danger and the audience deeper into excitement.

 

4K

Mar 08

Mother’s Ruin – A Cabaret About Gin – The Garden – 4K

If you’re looking for a night of beautiful voices, comedy gold and gin Mother’s Ruin is the show for you. A dazzling performance by two rising stars in the Adelaide Cabaret scene.

 

Prepare to laugh and learn as your two hosts (and pianist) take you through the history and urban myths that surround gin. A darkly humorous history, it turns out, involving imperialism, conquest, debauchery and more. As the ladies bring you through this marvellous story, they deliver altered classics from Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Merle Haggard, Martha Wainwright, Billy Joel, The Popes, The Pretenders and more.

 

The voices and talent of Libby Wood and Maeve Marsden are astounding. The songs are carefully remodelled to fit the theme and are interspersed with moments of lightening wit and comic genius. History comes to life as these two ladies deliver a performance full of humour, delight and flagrant alcoholism.

 

The lights go down, the gin comes out, it’s a wonderful show.

 

 

4K